Trigon starts draining underground shafts

Canadian exploration company Trigon Metals has started work in preparation of the resumption of underground mining at Kombat Mine, which is planned for early 2024.

According to a statement issued by Trigon president and chief executive Jed Richardson on Wednesday, draining water from the underground mine shaft began in September.

“Water levels have decreased 157m in the first month of pumping, and is on track to have the shaft fully dewatered by year-end. This will allow for mining to begin in the first half of 2024,” the statement says.

Trigon is well positioned to become a mid-tier copper producer by leveraging the potential of Kombat Mine, situated between Otavi and Grootfontein, through the expansion of its resource and production capacity during the mine’s expected life of mine of around 15 years.

The mine has more than 35km of strike length, which represents an important part of its long-term future.

In July and August, Trigon installed two powerful pumps in the main shaft at Asis West, as well as 7,2 MW of emergency backup generators to ensure uninterrupted power.

The company said the water pumped from the mine is potable and being piped into an open canal that feeds reservoirs near Windhoek.

The pumps have the capacity to remove in excess of 2 000 cubic metres per hour, sufficiently more than the total inflow when the mine is completely drained.

“Now that open-pit mining has achieved commercial production, processing 1 000 tonnes of ore per day and shipping 250 tonnes of concentrate a week, it is important to understand work is well underway to expand the mill’s throughput and commence mining from the underground, leading to a tripling of production profile while lowering production costs and amplifying profitability,” Richardson says.

The planned underground mining would enable Trigon to recover higher-grade underground ore, and incorporate upgrades to crushing and milling.

The company’s underground mining fleet is expected to arrive in December, providing sufficient time to prepare stopes and train staff before the planned start-up.

Trigon local partner Knowledge Katti says: “Kombat Mine is a very important project for Namibia – especially for the children from the Kombat community.

“Once in full production, Trigon Namibia will deliver sustainable benefits for years to come, including an expected minimum of 800 direct jobs.

“The supporting shareholders are all working together as a partnership to deliver positive outcomes for all our stakeholders. The project has already been instrumental in supplying underground water to the Namibian national water utility.

“We anticipate this partnership continuing for the foreseeable future, since we upgraded our infrastructure to pump more water to the Omatako Dam. We are looking forward to more success on behalf of all stakeholders.”

Trigon holds an 80% interest in five mining licences in the Otavi Mountainlands, an area of Namibia widely recognised for its high-grade copper deposits.

– email: matthew@namibian.com.na